Mercedes aiming to uphold its 'momentum' in Brazil

Mercedes heads to Brazil on the back of a pair of runner-up finishes in Austin and in Mexico City, and therefore the German outfit will aim to uphold its momentum at Interlagos.

Lewis Hamilton finished second behind the unassailable Max Verstappen in the last two races, as Mercedes outpaced Ferrari at both venues, a performance that pointed to the Brackley squad's undeniable progress of late.

"We didn't optimise every opportunity in Mexico, but we still managed to score good points with Lewis's great drive to the podium and George's P4 finish, commented team boss Toto Wolff in Mercedes' Brazilian Grand Prix preview.

"It was encouraging to be in the fight for the win, showing how far we've come since the start of the year.

"While we're always aiming for the top spot, we should be proud of that progress and we're aiming to keep it going through the end of the year and into 2023."

• Read also: Hamilton dedicates honorary Brazilian citizenship to Senna

Last year, Interlagos was the scene of Hamilton's enthralling charge through the field from P10 that led to an equally sensational wheel-to-wheel battle between the Briton and Verstappen.

This week, the seven-time world champion heads back to Brazil as an honorary citizen of the South American country, which will undoubtedly boost his motivation to outperform in front of his surrogate home crowd.

"Interlagos is an iconic track and the scene of so many special F1 moments, including Lewis's spectacular performance last year in the Sprint and the Race," added Wolff.

"We're proud to be coming back to Brazil, with Lewis having been made an honorary citizen this week and having had such good memories there in the past.

"On paper, it shouldn't be quite as strong a circuit for us as Mexico, but regardless, we want to keep up our momentum from recent races. So, we will keep working hard to hopefully be in the mix once again."

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